Real Life Racers

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88GTA

88GTA

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koszak27
So who on here has raced any cars in real life? What kind of car, what kind of race was it and what was your experience? Lets keep it street legal and competition sanctioned/organized only so we don't get 44 straight posts of stoplight races in stock Civics...

I'll start:

I race in the SCCA Solo II autocross for the Northern New Jersey Region (NNJR) at MetLife Stadium (NY Giants/Jets home). We are currently done for the year but I'm hoping for a good year starting this spring. I race my 1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA in the C-Race Prepared class (mods below). I have to say that just about all of the basics taught in License tests for GT5 do translate to real life, but video game physics, in my opinion, will never be realistic enough. In autocross "smooth is fast" and you always want to be right at the limit of your tires. Tires are the most important part of the car and this is over emphasized in autocross when trying to corner exactly. Finding the driving line in real life has helped me tremendously in GT5, that's for sure. Still, there is nothing like racing a real car in a safe, organized, event even if you never go above 60mph. Running a car to its limits at any speed will always give you an adrenaline rush.
I remember after my very first autocross run I got out of my car and my hands and legs were shaking. It was awesome.
I've also gone to my local dragway for a couple 1/4 mile runs when I was in high school. I drove a 1986 Trans Am with full exhaust and 190,000 miles and ran a best of 16.4 @ 82mph (it seemed fast then, haha).

My GTA's mods:
Stock block/internals 5.7L V8
Stock Tuned Port Injection
Fully built 700R4 auto trans with vette servo, .500 boost valve, shiftkit
3000rpm stall torque converter
3.70 gear 9 bolt rear
LS1 aluminum driveshaft
Koni Yellow shocks/struts
Spohn spherical strut mounts
UMI double adjustable panhard bar
Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs
BFG G-Force Super Sport 245/50/R16
 
I'm 16, so I can't even have my license for another 2 years lol. But yes, at some point in my life, I want to try IRL racing.
 
Drove:
USAC Midget Series, 2 years.
Karts, 100cc Pipe-3 years, 100cc Can-7 years, 4 cycle-1 year.

Crew:
USAC Midgets-19 years
Indycar-12 years
Sports Car-4 years
 
I've been known to run at Jennings GP every other weekend or so. Of course we race motorcycles, not cars. Currently race ready in the garage:
1999 Ducati 750SS Full mods, too much to list.
2000 Ducati 750SS Full mods
2006 Ducati 749 Shark Skins

As you can tell we like the older air cooled, fuel injected machines. Keeps the speeds down to 90mph, and provides close racing. I know it's not cars, but nothing beats feeling your knee slider skim the pavement.
 
Great thread idea. I've drag raced at Capitol raceway for about 13 years with various cars including the car I own now. Looking for more, I started Autocross this past season and raced 2 Autocross events with a Washington DC chapter BMW club that a friend belongs to and one event with SCCA at FED EX stadium in Laurel MD. Being my first year doing so surely showed me how much there is to be learned with driving in a competitve form. It is the the most fun to be had in a car and is a great way of learning car control in a safe and controlled enviroment. New tires are being ordered for next season in the hope of greatly improving on last years experience.
01z28.jpg
01z283.jpg
dyno.jpg

As for the car, its a 2001 Camaro Z28 with the following:
-LS1 V8, 6 spd manual, 3.42 rear
-Kook's long tube headers and off road y-pipe
-GMMG cat back exhaust system
-SLP air box with K&N element
-MSD ignition wires
-computer tuned on dyno (353 rwhp/348ftlbs)
-SLP Panhard bar and strut tower bar
-KYB 8 way adjustable shocks
- polyurethane transmission mount and torque arm mount
-Spohn tubular lower control arms with poly bushings
-B&M shifter with skip shift removed
Autometer 5" Monster tach w' shift light
-American Racing Torque Thrust II wheels 17x9.5f/17x11r
-tires for this upcoming season:
Kuhmo Ecsta XS 275/40/17f and 315/35/17r.
Best 1/4 mile ET: 12.79@ 109.8mph
Mest 1/4 mile trap speed: 12.98 @ 111.9mph
 
Interesting thread....

I haven't any race experience, but always wondered which video game gives the most realistic portrayal of actual racing.
I am thinking not only of physics, but the A1 also.

So, which games do the actual racers feel are most realistic to actually racing?
 
88GTA
So who on here has raced any cars in real life? What kind of car, what kind of race was it and what was your experience? Lets keep it street legal and competition sanctioned/organized only so we don't get 44 straight posts of stoplight races in stock Civics...

I'll start:

I race in the SCCA Solo II autocross for the Northern New Jersey Region (NNJR) at MetLife Stadium (NY Giants/Jets home). We are currently done for the year but I'm hoping for a good year starting this spring. I race my 1988 Pontiac Trans Am GTA in the C-Race Prepared class (mods below). I have to say that just about all of the basics taught in License tests for GT5 do translate to real life, but video game physics, in my opinion, will never be realistic enough. In autocross "smooth is fast" and you always want to be right at the limit of your tires. Tires are the most important part of the car and this is over emphasized in autocross when trying to corner exactly. Finding the driving line in real life has helped me tremendously in GT5, that's for sure. Still, there is nothing like racing a real car in a safe, organized, event even if you never go above 60mph. Running a car to its limits at any speed will always give you an adrenaline rush.
I remember after my very first autocross run I got out of my car and my hands and legs were shaking. It was awesome.
I've also gone to my local dragway for a couple 1/4 mile runs when I was in high school. I drove a 1986 Trans Am with full exhaust and 190,000 miles and ran a best of 16.4 @ 82mph (it seemed fast then, haha).

My GTA's mods:
Stock block/internals 5.7L V8
Stock Tuned Port Injection
Fully built 700R4 auto trans with vette servo, .500 boost valve, shiftkit
3000rpm stall torque converter
3.70 gear 9 bolt rear
LS1 aluminum driveshaft
Koni Yellow shocks/struts
Spohn spherical strut mounts
UMI double adjustable panhard bar
Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs
BFG G-Force Super Sport 245/50/R16
Click to expand...

I also had a GTA but 1987, with the 5.7 engine like yours, lot of fun to drive,👍
 
I've been looking for some Real Life Wheel-to-Wheel Road Course Racers... only found a couple on here.

NASA 944SPEC.

MPH10.jpg


Thread about racing videos and cars is in my Sig.
 
Only racing i do is drag racing so far, thinking about trying the car on road course next summer.

Cobalt SS TC '09
tuned
Downpipe
intake
drag radial
12.544@113.7mph
 
I'm 15, so my only racing is go-karts. Raced a few times for the first time last year.
 
I race in the chump series and the 24 hour of lemons. With a $500 cap things are pretty entertaining 👍
Car is a ctfu (cut the ... up) lincoln mark 8 that handles INSANELY well.
Just google team lincoln assassination (joke about good old abe) the green lincoln is ours!
To put it in perspective our $498 car (that's some good budgeting) will outrun your trans am just like it does mine :D
 
I take part in Rally Driving. The rally I did was in North Yorkshire in a mk2 Ford Escort RS1800 with no power steering. Came 5th overall out of 12 drivers so I was pretty happy with the result. Though I really did miss the cofort of power steering. Couldn't lift my right arm for days afterwoods. :dopey:
 
DJones
I race in the chump series and the 24 hour of lemons. With a $500 cap things are pretty entertaining 👍
Car is a ctfu (cut the ... up) lincoln mark 8 that handles INSANELY well.
Just google team lincoln assassination (joke about good old abe) the green lincoln is ours!
To put it in perspective our $498 car (that's some good budgeting) will outrun your trans am just like it does mine :D
Click to expand...

I envy you.
 
Mac K
He is asking who races in real life(that wasn't enough of a hint?) and also plays GT5..
Click to expand...

Okay well I play baseball and also play GT5, doesn't mean I should make a thread about ballplayers in this board. See what I mean? That's why he said this is the wrong place for this.
 
MXicon
Baseball doesn't even remotely pertain to GT5.
Click to expand...

Nor does people's real life experience with GT5. GT5 is a game, real life is real life. This is about real life, not a game, so thus it has no purpose in this board. 💡
 
SkierPS3
Okay well I play baseball and also play GT5, doesn't mean I should make a thread about ballplayers in this board. See what I mean? That's why he said this is the wrong place for this.
Click to expand...

If this was MLB The Show Planet, then sure. I think its just fine here. If the Op or mods don't think it belongs here, it can be moved, I don't see why its a big deal.
 
SkierPS3
Nor does people's real life experience with GT5. GT5 is a game, real life is real life. This is about real life, not a game, so thus it has no purpose in this board. 💡
Click to expand...

Real life racing - cars/bikes etc
Gran Turismo series/family of games - cars/bikes etc

Nah, don't see any relation at all.

Baseball obviously has nothing to do with GT, as it is a ball sport - not a MOTOR sport.

This topic probably does belong in the car section (where there is likely a similar one already), but there may be quite a few GT5 players who never venture in there - those who come to GTP just to talk about the game for instance.

Anywho, i would obviously race more in real life if i could afford to.

So far i've only done a few grasskhana events and a couple of drag race events in my Skylines (R32 GTS non turbo manual, and R32 GTS-4 turbo auto).

I hope to do autocrosses one day in the GTS or another Skyline i buy for a track car, and really hope to get up to a racetrack where my fiance takes her Kawasaki Ninja 600RR around sometimes. Of course, i'd prefer to trailer it up there incase something breaks and i have no way to get it home.
 
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Nobody else? I was expecting there to be more honestly.
 
In before the lock/move. :)

2007 Mustang GT
93 Octane program
Hurst short throw shifter
Steeda UDP
Steeda CMCV delete plates
UMI rear LCA's
C&L Racer intake
Flowmaster axle-back exhaust

Last dyno was on a smaller intake, and running a less aggressive program was 292whp/312wtq.
 
I don't drive, but I do volunteer as course marshall (rare) and race/chief steward (frequent) for a small regional sanctioning body in the midwest. Been around race cars for 15+ years since my step-dad got the whole family into it.

Circle track first, then several cars purpose built for road racing including an Austin, a Porsche 944, Gen3 Mustang, Late-Model stock car, and a few others (vintage). Got into the steward thing after course marshalling for several years.

So very little actual on-track experience (couple ride-alongs and tourings mostly), but a LOT of experience behind-the-scenes as it were.
 
acascianelli
In before the lock/move. :)

2007 Mustang GT
93 Octane program
Hurst short throw shifter
Steeda UDP
Steeda CMCV delete plates
UMI rear LCA's
C&L Racer intake
Flowmaster axle-back exhaust

Last dyno was on a smaller intake, and running a less aggressive program was 292whp/312wtq.
Click to expand...

so do you actually race off the bench?
 
esoxhntr
so do you actually race off the bench?
Click to expand...

Sorry, forgot to mention it.

I've been to the drag strip a few times, not much. Other than that, just some light light-to-light drag racing. I think the fastest I had at the strip was like a 13.6ish, that was on stock all-seasons.
 
acascianelli
I think the fastest I had at the strip was like a 13.6ish, that was on stock all-seasons.
Click to expand...

👍 I used to own an 1G DSM (Eagle Talon Turbo AWD) that I ran at the strip.. lightly modded - my best time was 13.1 but I could out 60' most cars (thanks AWD) on street tires. Been many years now though..
 

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